


Always Finding Each Other

by SakuraBlossom22



Series: Always Finding Each Other [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Coping, Derogatory Language, F/F, F/M, Gay Keith (Voltron), Gen, Gender-Neutral Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, If I'm missing tags let me know, Keith and Shiro are Siblings, Keith works as a barista, Krolia is Keith and Shiro's mom, Lance works in a bar, Lotor doesn't get what's coming to him, M/M, Memory Loss, Multi, Mutual Pining, Nonbinary Pidge | Katie Holt, Pansexual Lance (Voltron), Pansexual Lotor (Voltron), Pining Keith (Voltron), Pining Lance (Voltron), Slow Burn, brief mention of fight, hunk is real mvp, keith attacks lotor, keith really didn't like how lotor talked about lance, lance asks lotor not to press charges, lance is great at calming someone down, lancelot smut scene in a separate story, red is a cat, slight season 5 spoilers, taking care of lance like he does
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-13
Updated: 2018-07-16
Packaged: 2019-03-30 19:29:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 21,941
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13958421
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SakuraBlossom22/pseuds/SakuraBlossom22
Summary: Working two part-time jobs and going to college is an absolute nightmare, says everyone but one Lance McClain. How long will his luck hold out after meeting a certain dark-haired barista who might be the link to his past?Working one job and going to college was enough for one Keith Kogane, between the shift change, working on his bike, taking care of his cat and school, he doesn't have time for friends or dating. But what happens when a random boy comes into the shop and attempts to flirt with him, nothing. Because the boy was totally not his type.Do these two even have a chance at being friends, let alone more than that?Warning: Title is liable to change, thank you.





	1. The Gorgeous Man

**Author's Note:**

> Hiya, Kya here and I bring you my first ever Voltron fic! So I started working on this shortly after Season 5 came out, there are a few people that helped me with this and all their links will be at the end of the story so please check them out. 
> 
> I wanted to write this note to let you guys know that while this is definitely going to be a slow burn, it did not start off that way! I had started this as a one-shot smut fic that was going to include a song, but nope, the idea got too big. So instead of having Lance shaking his hips and entrancing Keith, you have this train wreck. I also have a Spotify playlist for this story if anyone wants it. I do suggest you put it on shuffle since I haven't organized it yet. 
> 
> Anyways, this fic is going to be long, I really don't know how long but I do have a lot of things planned. Also, this is going to be slow going for me as I am not used to writing multi-chapter fics, so please don't give up hope on me. I will upload a new chapter once it gets done getting edited, so the basic rundown is:  
> Write  
> Edit and get Beta  
> Write next chapter while beta works  
> Approve of changes/fixes and then post
> 
> I do want to get two chapters out a month which is a lot for me, but let's give it our best. I am also looking for a beta, I have friends who often help me but all my friends are also writers so, you can see the issue. If you have any free time and would be willing to beta for this pleb then please send me a message!
> 
> Now on to the story, also please let me know if you want the Spotify list and make sure to give ideas and suggestions!

Blue eyes wandered towards the clock, the black numbers standing in contrast to the white background. **3:56 am.** A sigh slipped past his lips as he moved quickly between the tables. Only two hours until he got off. 

 

He delivered the drinks to their proper tables and reminded the patrons that this was their last drink. While all of them groaned and made a fuss, they weren’t new to this rule and so they accepted it simply enough. Drinks got cut off at 4, while everyone got kicked out at 5. Lance would often start cleaning once the last drinks were given, even though no matter how hard he scrubbed or mopped some parts would still be left sticky. It was one of the charms that came with working at ‘The Gorgeous Man’. He had long since grown used to the off-white walls never looking as clean as he knew they were at one point. The white walls fading to yellow from the years of smokers inhabiting the bar as the floor held stains and burn marks from cigarettes and ash. 

 

He came to love the place shortly after joining the staff. He had started by working in the karaoke part of the bar since they didn’t serve alcohol there but once he turned 21, he applied to work upstairs in the actual bar. While he missed the easy work life down below, the bar paid more which was important for him since he was still going to college. Looking at the clock again, he noticed that it was about to turn five. Walking over to the stage that was often used for Saturday night live bands, he grabbed the mic before turning it on and smiling at everyone. He spoke gently into the mic as he motioned towards the door.

 

“Not saying you have to go home but you can’t stay here. This party is officially over and we are closed. Please leave through the nearest exit and have a pleasant day!” 

 

The same patrons that groaned and made a fuss over being cut off sounded off again before struggling to get out of their seats. Lance sighed before going towards the staff room and looking in. Spotting his co-worker, he smiled gently before slipping past the door, wrapping his arm easily over the shoulders of the other before putting on his best smile. 

 

“Hey honey, think you can come help me a bit?  Some of the patrons are having a hard time getting up and there are just too many out there for me to help.” 

 

The man that he has come to know as Lotor turned to him and frowned slightly. Lotor’s eyes locked with Lance’s as he finished putting his long white hair up in a bun. Lance never understood why both Lotor and Allura had bleached their hair white. From what he understood, both cousins had beautiful chestnut colored hair. He also never understood how they both could have such lustrous hair. That’s not to say that he didn’t love both the cousins and their hair; they always let Lance play with them in his free time, but how does one get their hair to look so nice?  Did they have a special routine that they did with their hair like he had with his skin? He felt Lotor exhale rather than hearing it before Lotor shook his head. 

 

“This is the last time, McClain. You’re a big boy, you can get them out yourself.”

 

Lance pulled away from the other and pouted. “No, I can’t. I have to go clean the bathrooms before I leave, so unless you want to switch, you can handle the patrons of this establishment.”

 

Lance watched Lotor roll his eyes before getting up. Lotor towered over him by a good few inches as they came to 5’8 and 6’ respectively. Grabbing the broom, Lotor took it from Lance before leaning down and kissing Lance on the cheek. He walked out, effectively choosing the bathroom over having to deal with drunk customers. Lance shook his head before skipping out of the room and heading back towards the main bar. He noticed that a few patrons were still struggling, a chuckle bubbling up as he approached an older man. 

 

“Come on, let me help you up.” Placing his hands under the others arms, he lifted the man with just a bit of trouble. Once the older man was on his feet, Lance wrapped one arm under his arms, while using his other to wrap the man’s arm around his own shoulders. He walked slowly to the exit before shuffling the door open and helping the man to the stairs. Lance untangled himself from him before placing him gently against the wall. 

 

“There’s a rail for you to lean on so you don’t fall. Stay safe.” 

 

The older man nodded once and Lance stood there long enough to watch him make his way down the stairs. Lance turned quickly; once he thought the man was safe and headed back to the bar. Looking around, he found a single remaining patron sitting towards the back, features hidden by the shadows cast from the lights above. Making his way quickly towards this figure, Lance stopped as he reached the table. 

 

“Hiya, don’t know if you heard what I said or not but you have to leave. Most bars are closed by now so you won’t be able to drink here, but there's a lovely cafe a few blocks down.” 

 

Lance’s nose scrunched up as he observed what looked to be another male. If he was honest with himself, he would have found him attractive. He couldn’t get much of a look at him, but what he could see showed the other person to be muscular, like he went to the gym. Lance partially wondered if the guy lifted; otherwise how else would he end up as he did? He also noticed the guy had a tuft of white fringe. Whoever did that? He could see Allura or Lotor doing it, maybe, but it wasn’t the most attractive thing in the world. He sighed as he got no response to his statement before heading towards the manager's office. He knew that Coran was still in because the dude didn’t leave until everyone was out of the establishment. Knocking twice, he waited before he heard a loud, ‘Come in.’ 

 

Lance opened the door and walked in, closing the door softly once he was in the office and looked at a man sitting at the desk. Lance would never admit it to anyone but he had thought that Coran was weird when he had first met the ginger man. Lance still thought of him as weird but his weirdness has a way of growing on a person, to the point where his employees would end up using his made-up curse words rather than actual ones. Like, what the quiznak is a quiznak? Lance shook his head once as he sat down in front of the other. Coran turned quickly in his chair and Lance could see a huge smile on his lips. 

 

“What can I do for you, my boy?”

 

Lance shifted in the chair, sitting on the edge of it as his elbows rested on his thighs, fingers laced together. “So, there’s this buff dude at one of the back tables, but he ignored me when I asked him to leave. Should I let you handle it?”

 

He watched Coran as his finger went up to brush through his moustache. “What did you say he looked like?”

 

Lance did his best to explain how the guy had looked. Once he brought up the hair, Coran’s eyes lit up before he broke out into a laugh. “My dear boy, that’s Shiro, Allura’s boyfriend. Pay him no mind. He was probably listening to music as he waited for Allura. Why don’t you go ahead and pack up? I can finish up here. Besides, don’t you have a test to study for?” 

 

Lance looked at Coran, a bit surprised but said nothing as he took a deep breath and nodded. “Yeah, child development can be a real pain. Thanks, Coran, I promise I can make up the minutes tomorrow.”

 

Coran waved his hand dismissing the idea immediately. “Nonsense, you go home and study.”

 

Lance stood and offered a smile to Coran as he walked towards the door. He opened it and looked back at him. “Thank you.”  

 

He left the office and made his way to the break room. Once in the room, he went to his locker and grabbed his bag. Pulling out his phone, he checked the time and noticed that he was finishing a whole 20 minutes before his actual time. Lance smiled as he put on his jacket and bag before shutting his locker. Leaving the break room, he made his way back out into the bar and waved a quick goodbye to Allura and Lotor. Making his way out of the bar, he let out a sigh as he rolled his shoulders, both of them popping softly. He took the steps two at a time. The sooner he could get out of the building, the better. Lance always felt a bit anxious if he wasn’t moving. It’s why he took up teaching Zumba after his classes. 

 

Once outside, he took a deep breath. The early morning air filled his lungs and cleansed him of the stale bar air. He knew that Coran did his best to make sure that the bar smelled good, or at least didn’t stink, but being inside for 6 hours, 5 days a week with a bunch of smoke and people smelling like sweat really made it hard. Lance turned toward the rising sun and watched as the sky turned from midnight blue, shifting between shades of purple, red, and orange. This was always his favorite part of the day. Not many people got to say that they watched the sun both rise and fall daily. 

 

Grabbing his phone out again, he sent a quick message.

**05:46 am** **  
** _ sirlancelot: _ just got off work, meet at usual spot?

 

He slipped on his blue headphones as he started up his dance playlist. Lance was in a relatively happy mood, and his music choice always reflected his mood. He headed down the street, hips swaying as he sidestepped and danced down the street. His body moving on its own as he approached the cafe he talked about earlier. The cafe was extremely cute going by the name of ‘Tiny Bean’. Lance was curious as to how the name came to be, although his personal theory was that it was due to cat paws having toe pads that looked like little beans, which probably wouldn't be that far off based on the cafe itself. 

 

The cafe was cat themed, and actually helped with getting cats adopted from shelters. Each month the cafe would put up pictures of cats from different shelters asking ‘Would you like to donate an extra 5 dollars to the shelter? With only five dollars, you could save a cat’s life.’ or the alternative ‘Would you like to adopt a cat with the purchase of a Fat Floof and some cat treats?” 

 

Lance always ended up at the cafe, sitting in one of the booths with a large coffee waiting for his ride. It probably wasn’t the best idea to get a large coffee after a 6-hour shift serving alcohol and then heading to school but it was the only way to keep himself awake during his classes that he went directly to from the cafe. He guessed that working the night shift had its downsides, but going to the cafe so early had an upside, he got to talk to the most beautiful employee he had ever met.

 

Walking into the cafe, he lowered his headphones until they hung around his neck. While the music had helped a bit to keep him mostly awake, he could still feel his body giving up on him. With his shoulders slumping forward he walked up to the counter and gave a tired smile. Looking at the worker he noticed that it wasn’t Nyma. Their ebony hair was pulled into a low ponytail with one ear pierced twice. Maybe he could get this girls number...

 

"Hey, my precious bean, my angel of mercy, my Java Goddess; hit me up with a _fat floof_ triple chocolate latte with extra whipped cream, _two kits_ , and, I'd be _purrfectly_ happy to lick that spoon for you."

 

The dark-haired employee turned around with a raised eyebrow. It was then that Lance knew he had fucked up. He straightened up quickly, arms leaving the counter as a hand ran through his hair, his other hand playing with the hem of his shirt. 

 

“Uh, sorry dude. Didn’t mean to call you any of that, had a long night at work, my brain was playing tricks on me. Is Nyma in?” 

 

At hearing her name, Nyma stepped out from the back. A black-cat eared hat on her head, cheeks marked with black whiskers, and a black apron marked with the cafe’s name in some fancy script at the top. Nyma was pretty, no one would say otherwise, as she came in at 6 foot while in regular shoes. Her hair was blonde and tied up in her signature puppy dog ears, falling in four braids from the side of her head, the ends holding large blue beads for each one. Every time Lance looked at her, he felt his heart rate climb, his knees start to shake. Her blue eyes were piercing, almost like she was looking right through him. Hands on her hips, she frowned at him. 

 

“What do you want, Lance? Some of us actually have work to do.”

 

His eyebrows knit together as a frown appeared on his face for a fraction of a second before his smirk was back. He leaned against the counter with one arm as he used the other to make a finger gun. 

 

“Don’t be like that my Java Goddess. You know that I just got off work. I was just curious as to why your beautiful face wasn’t gracing the front today.” His voice pitched up in a whine. 

 

The two other employees and 7 whole customers could feel the eye-roll Nyma gave him but her shoulders slumped, her perfectly manicured hand waving him off. 

 

“Having the new guy try his hand at the morning rush. He switched from the evening shift, wanted to make sure he could keep up. Why? Don’t you think he’s good enough to look at?” 

 

Every fibre of Lance’s being froze. The cafe felt like everyone was holding their breath until a cup was placed on the counter. 

 

“One large triple chocolate latte with extra whipped cream and two shots of espresso. That’ll be **$7.68.** ”

 

All eyes landed on the dark-haired boy as he called out Lance’s order. Lance noticed that the boy’s shoulders hunched up, almost like he was trying to fold in on himself from all the attention being thrown on him. A small smile graced Lance’s face before his body started to move. He turned around and gave his best smirk before addressing the onlookers. 

 

“Now, I know I’m hella fine but didn’t you ever learn that it’s not polite to stare? You’re always free to take pictures if you want!” 

 

He winked at everyone before turning back towards the counter, somehow managing to trip over his own feet despite not even taking a single step. Before he knew it, Lance was down on the floor with laughter echoing around him. Lifting his head up, he smiled nervously before lifting his body into a kneeling position, a hand going to the back of his head. 

 

“My bad guys, guess I fell for my own good looks.”

 

He stayed on his knees until everyone had turned back to doing whatever they were doing before. Nyma shook her head before heading back into the kitchen, a simple “hurry up and leave” being heard before the door closed. Lance sighed softly as he gently touched his nose, it was going to be sore for a bit. A shadow fell over him and a pale hand was next to his face. 

 

“Need a hand?”

 

Lance’s blue eyes followed the hand to its wrist, noticing a thin, black strip of cloth covering it as before continuing upwards. Lance noticed that the arm was just as pale as the hand. His eyes finally reached the sleeve hem of a black shirt before he looked up and was met with dark eyes. A shade between dark blue and grey, almost a muted violet. His eyes were like a storm and Lance could feel himself suffocating in this storm, at least until someone cleared their throat. His vision zoomed out bringing everything into focus again. Lance blinked a few times before looking back at the hand held out to him. He moved the hand away rather harshly without meaning to. 

 

“I don’t need any help, pretty boy.” 

 

The hand pulled back quickly, the boy straightening up as Lance finally got a glance at his nametag, Keith. Lance snorted as he moved back to his feet, legs a bit numb. Who named their child Keith anyways? The name shouldn’t be allowed for guys with nice eyes. Feeling his face heat up a bit he shook his head before turning to look at Keith. 

 

“Thanks for trying to help, Keef, but I’m fine. How much do I owe you again?” 

 

Keith shifted his eyes a bit and frowned as he walked back to the other side of the counter.

 

“ **$7.68** , and the name’s Keith.”

 

Lance pulled out his wallet, which at the time he made it was pretty cool, now it just felt kinda outdated with the white duct tape body and a blue duct taped V in the middle. Opening his wallet, he quickly grabbed a $10 bill out and slid it across the counter. 

 

“Keep the change Keeeeeith, maybe you could get a better shirt.”

 

It wasn’t that Lance had anything against the shirt, it did, in fact, fit Keith quite well. He could see that Keith had a nice chest at least, and his arms were just right. A passing thought came to him, wondering what it would be like to be wrapped up in those arms. Would Keith even be able to lift him up at all? Maybe against a wall… Wait, nope. Forget that thought. Grabbing the cup, he yelled a bye to Nyma before giving a smirk to Keith. 

 

“See you tomorrow, Keef. Have fun with the morning rush.”

 

Lance didn’t get a reply as he walked out of the cafe. He would have sat down in there like he normally did, but with his accident from earlier he really didn’t want to show his face more then he had to. God, he feels so stupid. Who trips over their own feet, he wasn’t even walking! And what were those thoughts from earlier? Last time Lance had checked, short, emo and rude wasn’t his aesthetic of choice… Lance huffed loudly before moving towards one of the outdoor tables. He still had a bit to wait for Hunk, maybe he could start on that homework from last night… 

 

Taking one last look into the cafe, he sighed heavily, his shoulders slumping as he took a breath. Looking down at his cup, a laugh bubbled to the surface. Keith had named him Lame. Lance already knew he was screwed.


	2. Cherry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We learn about some of Keith's past!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is twice the amount of words as the last one! This is a longish chapter so please enjoy!
> 
> Usernames are as followed:  
> sirlancelot - Lance  
> hunkmcmuffin - Hunk  
> GreenGoblin - Pidge  
> BladeorDeath - Keith

It was Keith’s first day working the morning shift. He used to start work at 3 but his classes got switched to the afternoon, thus causing him great issues. Taking off his helmet, he hung it on his handlebar before grabbing his messenger bag and slinging it over his shoulder. Walking in through the back door, Keith stopped in the employee lounge and changed into his work shirt. Who even got coffee at this hour? Keith guessed it was the elderly and those stick-in-the-mud cubicle workers. Shoulders slumped as his head landed on a locker door, a groan spilling from him as he tried to get his body to respond. Sleep. Was that too much to ask for? All he wanted to do was sleep and cuddle with his cat. The fat floof named Cherry. 

 

Keith could still remember the day he found Cherry. He was working on the farm with his dad, out among the cherry trees. 

 

His little legs carried him down the path surrounded by trees. Keith always enjoyed being on the farm with his dad, getting his hands and clothes dirty, leaves and branches stuck in his hair as scrapes and bruises littered his body. Keith always tried to see how long he could go, pulling the baskets of cherries before they became too heavy and he had to ask his dad for the tractor. That was another thing Keith really loved, the tractors. He had learned how to drive early on, his first time was when he was 7. His dad had noticed that Keith was having a bit of trouble pulling a large basket, larger than what they normally used as there was an influx in orders, so he showed Keith how to drive the tractor with a trailer attached to the back. 

 

When Keith was 9 his dad opened up their house for families to visit and get that ‘Authentic Farming Lifestyle’. It was actually very successful and ran through the summer, one family per month. Different families came each month but one family always came back during the last month of each year, and as a result, that month was always his favorite. The family was a Cuban family from  Veradero Beach, consisting of a mother, a father, 3 little boys and 1 little girl. They were all close in age, the oldest being 12 while the youngest was 6. Keith remembered getting along with at least one of them. The boy always had a huge smile, was covered in band-aids and he could always be seen in those blue overall shorts with a white tank top on under it and blue sneakers. 

 

That boy was actually the one who was there when Keith found Cherry. It was a month before his birthday, he could remember as much since he had started the month countdown. He and the boy were running around the trees playing tag when they heard the faintest of noises. Keith swore that it sounded like something crying and he was scared. The two walked quietly for a bit, the other boy adding in a few remarks mainly going on with “What if it’s a monster?” or “Does this part of the world have huge cats that eat children?” Keith reassured him that “No, there wasn’t any monsters.” and “No, giant man-eating cats only come out at night.” Keith was joking obviously, but he wasn’t going to let on now, especially when the other boy looked so cute with his blue eyes wide with fright. 

 

Once they started near the edge of the farm, the crying got louder, going from what they thought of as cries from a human to cries from a kitten. Stopping under a tree where the noise was loudest, they separated to cover more ground, Keith looking on the ground as the other shimmied up the trunks to look among the lower branches. Twenty minutes of searching and the boys finally found the source of the noise. Keith stood at the base of a tree as the darker one climbed up to the lowest branches, a gasp leaving his lips as he looked down at Keith. 

 

“Keith, it’s a kitten! A white and orange kitten! Can we keep it?” 

 

Keith saw him reach for the kitten, everything going in slow motion. He didn’t have time to think, he knew the other boy would survive but the kitten most likely wouldn’t if it fell from that height, so his body moved by itself. Arms reaching out for the kitten, he caught it gently with his arms and shirt stretched out. Sighing heavily, Keith cradled the kitten in his arms, while the boy beside him praised him for such a good catch before his voice strained and a cry erupted from him. Keith froze, his eyes going wide as he took in the sight.

 

He was on his side, arm cradled against his chest the best he could, white shirt turning red as his blue overalls started turning purple. His arm was broken, anyone could see it from how the bone stuck out of his skin, Keith had never seen anything this bad before, his body refusing to move as his voice caught in his throat. No one had taught him what to do in this situation. Keith searched the others face, blue eyes hidden behind dark skin and long lashes. A sound broke his trance, a simple sound, the boys' pained cry for help and off Keith went, running back towards the house to find an adult.

 

Keith was pulled out of his thoughts as his coworker walked into the staff room. Nyma looked at him with one eyebrow raised. 

 

“Come on Keith, your shift starts in 5 minutes. Get to the register.” 

 

Keith gave a curt nod before tying on the apron and pulling his hair up. Sliding on the cat-eared hat, he walked past Nyma and headed to the counter where there was a small line forming. Why were there so many people getting coffee at 5 in the fucking morning? He kept his face straight as he went through his normal opening, “Thank you for stopping at ‘Tiny Bean’, what can I get for you today,” and ended with his usual, “Would you be interested in donating $5 to a shelter or towards adopting a cat?” 

 

Keith groaned as an hour passed, the line finally ending right as his head started to pound. Lack of sleep and dealing with customers that only wanted caffeine was not something anyone should put up with. He made a mental list of things to do before class. Talking to someone at the school about his schedule would be best, but the thought of having to choose which way to go about this was just a hassle.He would have dropped out if not for the promise he made to his father.  His head fell onto the counter and he hissed, now he really had a headache. 

 

Keith rubbed his forehead softly as he turned and looked into the kitchen through the window. He was about to go and grab some ice for his head until someone spoke. 

 

"Hey, my precious bean, my angel of mercy, my Java Goddess; hit me up with a fat floof triple chocolate latte with extra whipped cream, two kits, and, I'd be purrfectly happy to lick that spoon for you."

 

Keith stood up straight, back rigid before turning around and facing the other person. Blue. Blue eyes that sparkled like jewels, like the sky after a storm with the sun shining brightly. Blue eyes that reminded him of his days working on the farm, running around with that little boy from his past. Keith saw the exact moment the other realized that he wasn’t talking to who he thought they were. Eyes darkened and shifted, his smile not quite reaching his eyes now.

 

“Uh, sorry dude. Didn’t mean to call you any of that, had a long night at work, my brain was playing tricks on me. Is Nyma in?”

 

Keith turned around to call the Manager, but she was already looking out into the shop. He saw her roll her eyes before walking through the door and talking to the boy. Keith took this time to complete the order given to him as the two talked in the background. Keith had heard that his name was Lance and that he was apparently really good friends with the Manager. Keith groaned as Lance tried to flirt, like, did people really fall for that? He snorted at the thought of Lance coming up to him and hitting him with a cringy line, something like “ I like your last name, can I have it?” or “Can I get a picture of you so I can show Santa what I want for Christmas?” 

 

Keith’s face heated up slightly before he frowned at the cup. He forgot to put Lance’s name on it. He wrote his name quickly before adding the extra whipped cream, a semi-circular lid placed on top. He turned and looked at the two, the tension rising before he spoke. 

 

“...Lance…” The name was quiet, barely heard. His frown deepened before he cleared his throat 

  
“One large triple chocolate latte with extra whipped cream and two shots of espresso. That’ll be $7.68.”

 

Keith shouldn’t have spoken. All eyes were trained on him, everyone watching what he was doing. He couldn’t take it. The eyes locking him into place, he felt his chest tighten, his breathing became labored, every breath fighting to escape. He was starting to sweat, hands turning clammy under the gaze of the customers. “Help,” he heard himself barely manage to squeak out. His shoulder hunched up, starting to feel him fold in on himself as the edges of his vision started to blur. Noises faded in and out until he heard a clear voice speak. 

 

“Now, I know I’m hella fine but didn’t you ever learn that it’s not polite to stare? You’re always free to take pictures if you want!” 

 

Hearing those words made him feel like he was touched by the sun after a long storm. Looking up at Lance, he noticed that he was facing the cafe patrons. Keith sat the cup down on the counter and leaned against the wall as he took a deep breath and closed his eyes. It wasn’t long till he heard a yelp and something, maybe someone, falling. 

 

“My bad guys, guess I fell for my own good looks.”

 

That, someone, was Lance. Keith opened his eyes again but couldn’t find him. Moving back to the counter, he stood on his tiptoes and looked over, noticing that Lance was rubbing the back of his head. He looked between Nyma and Lance before finally catching her eyes. He motioned to the boy letting her know that he had it covered before going around to the front of the counter. He bent his knees, one hand resting on the top of his thigh as he reaches the other one down to Lance. 

 

“Need a hand?”

 

He kept his hand outstretched to the other as his eyes roamed over his body from head to toe. Being this close to Lance truly let him take in all that the boy had to offer. His hair was a light brown, it actually looked really soft and Keith wondered if it would be as soft as it looked. His eyes travelled down to Lance’s face, a small smirk forming as he took in the boys perfectly arched eyebrows and how he even had his eyes lined with a liner. Keith knew that if their eyes would have met, he would have been shown the wide open sky, or maybe the sparkling blue of deep oceans. His eyes drifted to Lance’s lips. They looked soft, also held a bit of shine to them, Keith was almost certain it was more or less lip gloss but it could have been any number of things. Lance had a long neck, long and thin; a vague thought about how he would look with marks all over his flawless neck passed through his head before he tore his eyes away and looked at the ground. 

 

A moment passed before their eyes locked, dark grey meeting blue as he felt a warm hand meet his only to push it away. His eyes narrowed in on a design on his forearm. The sleeves of Lance’s blue hoodie were rolled up exposing a tattoo, the design was simple enough. A crescent moon with craters and chains hanging from it, the chains connecting with small parts hanging down, the ends holding either a star or a sun. Keith had to admit that the tattoo was nicely done, the lines were smooth and the art was really pretty, he wondered where Lance had gotten it done but before he could ask him the other was standing in front of him. There wasn’t much of a height difference but enough of one that it was noticeable. Keith took a step back as his eyes met with Lance’s. 

 

“I don’t need any help, pretty boy.” 

 

Did he just call him pretty? If anyone was a pretty boy, it was Lance. Keith wanted to just lose himself in those eyes. A breath of silence fell over them before Lance spoke again.

 

“Thanks for trying to help, Keef, but I’m fine. How much do I owe you again?” 

 

Keith shifted his eyes a bit and frowned, he didn’t like how Lance spoke that name. His tone sounded cold, he took it all back. Lance wasn’t attractive. Nope. He was ugly and nothing could ever make him think differently. He turned on his toes and quickly walked back to the other side of the counter.

 

“$7.68, and the name’s Keith.”

 

Keith watched Lance pull out one of the oldest wallets and nearly choked. He really didn’t expect Lance to use a duct tape wallet, he honestly thought that those had gone out of style, but it looks like he was wrong. He recognized the symbol on it though and it made him smile. The symbol was from Voltron, he didn’t know much aside from it being a dance crew of some type. The group often allowed kids to sit in and watch, or even join along if that's what they wanted to do. Keith’s eyes followed Lance’s hand as he slipped the $10 bill over the counter. 

 

“Keep the change Keeeeeith, maybe you could get a better shirt.”

 

Keith looked down at his shirt, confused. He was wearing the mandatory shirt that all employees had to wear. It had the cafe’s name and logo on the breast pocket, so even if he wanted to get a new shirt he wouldn’t be able to change it. He heard Lance yell bye to Nyma before giving a smirk to Keith. 

 

“See you tomorrow, Keef. Have fun with the morning rush.”

 

Keith glared at the other boy, a frown playing on his lips before he let out a breath and shook his head. He visibly slumped forward after Lance left the cafe. He literally couldn't move anymore, his body doing all it could to stay standing. A coffee was placed in front of him, causing Keith to look up at Nyma. She held a soft smile and apologetic look on her face.

 

“I'm sorry about Lance. He can be an ass sometimes. To be honest, I don't know what his problem is, he’s flirted with guys at the counter before.” She paused in thought before shaking her head. “Ignore him, he isn't worth getting worked up over. Drink up, we have a long day ahead of us.” 

 

Keith took the coffee and tipped his head in thanks to her before he downed the drink. The coffee warmed him while he felt a rush of energy sweeping through his body. He gave Nyma a smile, ready to start his day.

 

\---------------

 

Keith fell onto the couch in the employee's room, his body spent of all energy he had had to put in. He knew he had classes after work but he honestly didn't feel like he could make it. His first day working the morning shift had drained him completely, he literally felt his soul leave his body, could almost see his spirit floating above him like in those cartoons. Closing his eyes, he replayed the events of meeting Lance in his head. He really enjoyed his smile and how soft his eyes got. A soft smile playing on his lips before he was rudely interrupted with a weight on his legs. His eyes flew open as he looked at the weight, a frown forming as he noticed it was Nyma. 

 

“Okay deadweight, time to get up and go home.”

 

Keith shifted his legs and she relented, standing next to the couch she held out a hand for him. He refused it before sitting up, arms raised above his head as he stretched. 

 

“Thanks for being an ass, Nyma.”

 

“Only doing my job, Keith.” She turned around and walked to her own locker, opening it before taking off the cat-eared hat and apron, shoving them into it as she grabbed her bag. “Don’t stay here all day Keith, you really should go home and sleep or try to get a few classes in. Either way, you need to leave.”

 

Keith watched her gather her stuff before she locked her locker and walked out the door. 

 

“See you tomorrow.” 

 

Keith grunted a reply before he forced himself off the couch. He had already decided that he wasn’t going to school, he was much too tired for that. Instead, he took off his apron and hat, shoved them into his locker before slipping on his jacket, red and white, yellow stripe resting horizontally across the middle of his chest. He grabbed his bag and rushed out of the room as fast as his body let him, which wasn’t as fast as he thought it was. Once outside he slipped his messenger bag over his head and pulled out his helmet. Putting on the helmet, he started up his bike and pulled out of the back alley, stopping at the entrance before looking both ways and rolling out onto the street. 

 

He took off quickly, moving between lanes and cars, street lights blurring together as the glare from the sun streaked the windows and buildings. This is what he loved most, going so fast that everything was a blur, a blur of colors and textures mixing and blending together to paint a picture. Riding was one of the only things that made him feel alive, could knock him out of whatever mood he was in and slap him right into happiness, contentment. 

 

It took him longer to get home than normal as he took a long way. He really didn’t have anything important to do today as he already decided to skip school. Keith had felt his anxiety and depression creeping through him all day, the only other time he couldn’t feel it was when he thought of that stupid boy from the cafe. Why were there people like that in this world? The boy was endearingly charming and Keith hated all of it. He hated how his face heated up when Lance would spout random pick-up lines, hated how bright Lance’s eyes were or how his smile really did light up the cafe. Keith hated how he was so fucking smitten by this guy he’d never met before. He wasn’t one for relationships, never had any interest in them, so why now did he find himself interested in the loud-mouth boy from the cafe?

 

Keith came to a stop as he pulled into the parking lot of his apartment, well Shiro’s apartment. It was small but spacious. Two bedrooms, one bath with one space holding both the kitchen and the living room. A small square table sat under a window in the kitchen, big enough for two people to eat at, and for a fat cat to lay on. This was were Keith found Cherry, sleeping on the table as she soaked in the sun rays. Her head lifted as the door opened, he could tell because her eyes were squinted, almost like she was mad that he woke her. Taking off his jacket and bag, he quickly tossed them onto the coat rack before falling onto the couch, he toed off his shoes before pulling his hair out of the ponytail. He had just enough time to get comfortable before he heard a soft meow and then felt a heavyweight jump onto him. He watched as Cherry kneaded his stomach, paws pressing and lifting in a pattern that helped to soothe his aching body. She quickly moved to his chest and plopped down, curling herself up as he pets her, his eyes slowly shutting as his body took in the warmth of her body and the comforting feel of her purring. 

 

\-------------------

 

Eyes opening slowly, he took in the apartment around him as he listened to the front door open and close. His eyes landed on a tall male, dark hair with a white tuft for bangs, Shiro. Takashi Shirogane was a tall and muscular man. He towered over Keith which could be seen as ironic as they were brothers. After losing his dad, Keith had thought that he was alone, that he had no more family aside from Cherry, and honestly he was surprised that the orphanage lets him keep her. It wasn’t until years later that he found out Cherry wasn’t his only family. It had all happened so suddenly, the day of his 18th birthday, two people showed up. He recognized one of them immediately as his mother, but the other was a mystery. He stood a few inches shorter than Krolia, hair in shades of black and dark grey with a white tuft of hair for bangs. Keith took in his appearance, a large scar crossed over the bridge of his nose, dark grey eyes full of warmth, with lips tilted into a smile. Keith could see the resemblance between the mystery man and his mother. Their eye shape was similar, the man had his dad's facial structure, same strong jawline and chin. 

 

Krolia introduced him as Keith's brother, Shiro. Keith didn't believe them at first, he couldn't have a brother, he would have remembered if he did, but the fact was still there, Keith had a family, that, he couldn't deny. It was awkward at first, the three trying to live together in one house. Shiro and Keith sharing a room that was too small for the two of them, had them fighting, a lot, and he wasn't even a few months into living with them that he decided he wanted to go to college, even if it was to just get away from them both. Krolia had quickly agreed to it, her believing in higher education and everything, even Shiro was supportive, telling him that college would be good for him. What he didn't expect was Shiro coming into their room the next day and tossing him two sets of keys. When he asked, Shiro admitted that he had been wanting to move out for a while so that their mom and him could get to know each other without being crowded, but once he heard that Keith wanted to go to college he thought it would be a better idea to get an apartment for them to share, something about brother's bonding. When he asked about the other key, Shiro’s face lit up like it was Christmas. He told Keith to follow him as he walked out of the apartment. 

 

Keith followed after Shiro, nearly running into him as he came to a sudden stop. Keith leaned around Shiro and spotted a simple black motorcycle. Shiro admitted to getting it a few years back, something about wanting to learn how to ride but with his arm being a prosthetic, he didn't feel safe knowing he might not have the proper control he wanted. Keith was grateful, really grateful. Since Krolia and Shiro came into his life he felt less lonely. Their family might not have been perfect but he was okay with that, okay with whatever this was. 

 

A week after that, both boys were moved into the new apartment, each taking a bedroom and by the end of the month, the place looked lived in. Keith had let Shiro decorate the apartment. Black sofa with white base sitting in the middle of the room, two black chairs with white bases next to it, framing the black coffee table between them all, purple and red pillows covering the sofa even though Shiro was livid when he saw Keith had changed the grey pillows to red. Two end tables sitting between the seating, light metal frame looking like stairs as glass covered the top, decorative purple flowers sitting on the end tables as they shared a spot with small white lamps, Shiro had let Keith pick both the flowers and lamps. A large mauve rug being used to cover the hardwood around the area, a tall metal bookshelf resting against the far wall holding more pictures frames then actual books. Various things were collected on the bookshelf, mixed photo albums from both boys lives, a locked box full of cat treats sitting on the lowest shelf, with a pile of blankets sitting next to it in colors of purple, black, red. Cherry often slept on the blanket pile, Keith believed it was because she wanted the cat treats.

 

All in all the living room looked nice, the table under the TV had stacks of games and various consoles, cat toys are haphazardly thrown around. Keith knew in the back of his mind that the room needed to be cleaned up, but who had the energy for that? 

 

His eyes focused back on the present, scanning over Shiro as he saw bags of groceries. He sat up the best he could, arms wrapping around Cherry trying his best not to wake her. “So, what are we having for dinner? Is it something I need to know how to cook?” 

 

Shiro smirked as they locked eyes, his head shaking gently. “Nah, I'm cooking tonight. Stir Fry okay?” 

 

Keith perked up, body sitting upright as he turned and kneeled on the sofa. “What's the occasion?”

 

Shiro dropped the bags off on the counter, turning to face Keith as his face took on a soft shade of pink. “You know our neighbors, the cousins?”

 

“Allura and Lotor? Yeah, what about them?”

 

“So, Allura had invited me out to her work towards the end of her shift. She sat with me on her last break and we talked. Well it turns out she has to leave for a week to do something with her dance crew and she asked me to take care of her cats for her.”

 

Keith tilted his head to the side as he listened, nodding his head as Shiro talked until he got to the part about the cats. His eyes narrowed before he spoke. 

 

“Why can’t Lotor watch the cats?”

 

Shiro’s face darkened again, and Keith could tell that Shiro had hoped he wouldn’t have asked that.

 

“The cats don’t like Lotor. Lotor will probably be at his boyfriend’s place while she’s gone, and before you ask, no I do not need to bring them over here unless that's okay?”

 

Keith looked down at the giant cat he was still holding, her yellow-green eyes opening and locking with his. She meowed gently before rubbing her head against his chest. Keith smiled softly and nodded. 

 

“They can stay here, maybe then Lotor can just stay home and not bother whoever his poor boyfriend is.” 

 

Shiro frowned at those words, eyebrows knitted together in confusion. “Are you ever going to tell me what happened between you and Lotor? You seemed fine with him for about a week and now you avoid him like the plague.” 

 

Keith stiffened at the question, Cherry purring softly until he moved her out of his arms. He watched her trot off to the blankets on the shelf before laying down and watching the two. He turned back to look at Shiro, worry on his face as their eyes met. 

 

“You don’t have to ta-”

 

“No, I should.” Keith had cut in and Shiro kept quiet. 

 

“You were right, we were fine for about a week and then he got creepy. When we would talk he would lean in far too close, blocking off any path for me to use as an escape. I found his hand on my ass more often than not and when I told him I wasn’t interested, asked him to stop, he all but said that ‘I have no right telling him no,’ and that ‘Because we are renting from his uncle, I owe him.’ I’m not going to take shit like that Shiro and I honestly feel really bad for whoever his boyfriend is. No one deserves a piece of trash like him in their life.”

 

Shiro was silent for a while, Keith could see the look on his face as he processed the information. “Is that why I saw him with that black eye a month after we moved in?” 

 

Keith pressed his lips into a line before nodding his head. Shiro’s eyes widened a fraction before he doubled over laughing. Keith kneeled on the sofa and watched, stunned at his brothers' reaction. Shiro had laughed so long that Keith had enough time to check his phone, 2 missed messages.

 

**4:09 pm** **  
** _hunkmcmuffin:_ Hey, wanted to see how your first day went.  
 _GreenGoblin:_ heard you had a shit day, have a meme  Image   
**4:10 pm**  
 _hunkmcmuffin:_ Good one Pidge. Off to work, talk to you later guys.  
 **4:12 pm** **  
** _GreenGoblin:_ ikr, also working. lets vc later!

 

**7:15 pm** **  
** _ BladeorDeath: _ so, Shiro is laughing like an idiot and work sucked

_ BladeorDeath: _ why did my classes have to change?   
_ GreenGoblin: _ youre the one that wanted to continue the course

 

**7:16 pm** ****  
_ BladeorDeath: _ well i want to do right by Shiro, he’s taken me in, can’t let his gift go to waste. plus dad wanted me to   
_ hunkmcmuffin: _ Sounds tough dude, hold on, idiot roommate is here. BRB

 

**7:18 pm** ****  
_ hunkmcmuffin: _ He came in to complain. Anyway, I’m proud of you dude. You should be starting fieldwork, yeah?    
_ GreenGoblin: _ speaking of, did you even go to school today   
_ BladeorDeath: _ nope, too tired. dealt with the worst customer this morning, really took all my energy not to punch him. 

 

**7:21 pm** ****  
_ hunkmcmuffin: _ That bad huh? I’m sorry, hopefully, tomorrow will be better.   
_ BladeorDeath: _ doubtful, i’m certain he’ll be there daily.   
_ BladeorDeath: _ him with his large triple chocolate latte with extra whipped cream and two shots of espresso.    
_ GreenGoblin: _ wow, you have it bad if you remember his order

 

**7:22 pm** ****  
_ BladeorDeath: _ hard not to remember when he flirts with every female he sees.   
_ hunkmcmuffin: _ I doubt he’s that bad, Keith. 

 

**7:26 pm** ****  
_ BladeorDeath: _ you wouldn’t understand. anyways, i need to go. eating dinner with Shiro, we can try to vc later.   
_ GreenGoblin: _ have fun eating with dad im sure whatever he makes will be great   
_ hunkmcmuffin: _ Oh, what are you having? Anything you’d like me to bring to you this weekend?

 

**7:30 pm** ****  
_ BladeorDeath: _ anything sweet, surprise me?   
_ GreenGoblin: _ still surprises me with how much of a sweet tooth you have   
_ BladeorDeath: _ shut it, it surprises me how much of a shithead you can be.   
_ hunkmcmuffin: _ Of course, message me if you have anything specific in mind!

 

**7:31 pm** **  
** _ BladeorDeath: _ anything chocolate, the sweeter the better. really have to go now, later.

 

Keith looked at Shiro, his arms crossed over his chest as he stood next to the small kitchen table. “Who were you talking to? I don’t suppose it was mom, was it?”

 

Keith knitted his brows together, this was the first he heard about Krolia wanting to talk with him. “Was I supposed to message her?” 

 

He walked into the kitchen and took his spot on one end as Shiro sat down on the other. The food smelled amazing, the spices mixing together to create a harmony that only seemed to work when Shiro was cooking. That’s not to say that Keith didn’t how to cook, in fact, it was one of the things that calmed him down on especially bad days. Keith let himself relax in his chair as he leaned in and took a bite. He smiled up at Shiro as he continued to eat. 

 

“Well, yeah? I mean, she wanted to talk with you for a bit, I think she wanted you to go with her this weekend to an event. Her dance events are always fun to watch if you’re into that kind of thing. I used to watch when I was younger but you never got the chance to, I think she feels bad.”

 

Keith took a few seconds to take it all in before he frowned. “She should feel bad. She left Dad and I alone, she broke our family apart Shiro. I’m glad she feels bad, she deserves it for leaving me alone all those years after Dad died. Do you want to know what it was like in the orphanage? It was hell, I was lucky enough to keep my cat just because the therapist and judge thought it would “keep me sane.” They left marks on me, Shiro, I have scars from that place. I hope she continues to feel bad. I’m not talking to her and you can tell her all that yourself if you want.” 

 

He stood before picking up his bowl and walking towards his room. “I’ll be in my room for the night. Come on Cherry.” 

 

At the sound of her name, Cherry got up slowly, back arching down as she stretched herself out and padded after Keith. They made their way down the hall, passing both Shiro’s room and the bathroom before opening the door to their room and walking in. He held the door open long enough for Cherry to slip in before he closed it. Placing his food on the desk, he fell onto the bed and grunted as Cherry made her way onto his chest. Feeling her full weight, he groaned softly before reaching up and running his hand down the length of her body, his own chest vibrating from her purring. He closed his eyes and let her warmth fill him, Cherry has always been there for him, ever since he had found her with that other boy. She was there when the other boy was in the hospital, with him when the other was gone from the farm for 11 months out of the year. He had her when his father had died and after he got put into the hell that raised him for 5 years. If it wasn’t for Cherry he would have turned out differently. Okay so he wasn’t the best person, sure he had anger issues and had problems listening to people of authority, he’s always tried his best though. What else was he supposed to do when no one would listen to him? What was the point in even calling her his mother if she was never there?

 

He felt his stomach drop, just because she wasn’t there for him didn’t mean she wasn’t trying. Sure, he would rather spend time with anyone but her but she was at least trying to make an effort in connecting with him, the least he could do was give her a chance. 

 

He laid there for a bit, his breathing evening out before he heard a knock on his door. “It’s open.”

 

He heard his door open before he sat up enough to look. Shiro had popped his head in, a soft smile on his face. “Is it safe for me to enter? Your guard cat won’t attack right?” 

 

Keith felt his face twitch before his lips pulled up into a smirk. “It depends on whether or not you’re here to do something stupid.”

 

Shiro gasped in mock shock, a hand coming to rest over his heart as he swung the door open. “How dare! I am rightfully shocked to hear you say that. All my ideas are great by the way.”

 

He watched Shiro step in, dark blue-grey eyes landing on the arm that was behind his back. “What you got there, dear brother?” Keith wrapped his arms around Cherry before sitting up. He placed her down next to him as he eyed Shiro. “Is that perhaps something for me? Or are you planning to give it to Cherry?”

 

Shiro’s smile widened as they locked eyes before his eyes moved to watch Cherry, who was sitting up and yawning. Her mouth opens wide as she stretched again. “It’s totally something for your cat. I’m sure she’ll love it. Come here, Cherry.”

 

Cherry leaned forward and licked at one of her paws, eyes meeting Shiro’s before she looked away and continued to clean herself. Shiro rolled his eyes before moving his hand out from behind his back, a plate holding a slice of what looked like cake? It was a three-layered cake, between each layer of chocolate cake was a tan looking frosting with what looked like peanut butter cups? And was that chocolate dripping down the sides? Keith leaned forward so fast that if Cherry had still been on his chest, she might well have been launched across the room, his elbows ending up resting against his knees in eager anticipation. 

 

“Okay, what do I need to do to get that slice of cake?”

 

“Have a talk with me?”

 

Keith was shocked. Well not really, he kinda expected something like this to happen eventually. Shiro was probably going to try and use the cake as a bribe to have him call Krolia. “You want me to talk to you? Just talking, nothing else?”

 

Shiro shook his head before he moved closer, Keith scooted up towards the wall as his back pressed against it, giving Shiro majority of the room. “Just talk, no calling Mom, no talking about things that have happened in the past, unless you want to. Just talking.”

 

Shiro held out the slice of cake and a fork which Keith took happily. “Fine, just talking. Where do you want me to start?”

 

“Well, can we talk about Dad? You know, I don’t really remember him. I remember that he used to smell of wood and cherries but that's about it. I remember how his face would make mine itch from his scruffy beard thing. What even was that? The last thing I remember is hearing him yell at Mom about her leaving. I didn’t understand it then, why she dragged me with her, why we left, but I get it now. She wanted to get back to her life from before, wanted to take us both but Dad didn’t want to leave his work. I found out later that they had agreed to split us up. He was supposed to call her if anything happened if anything came up but I guess it was too late by then. Was Dad happy at all? After Mom left?” 

 

Keith had been absentmindedly eating the cake while Shiro talked, trying not to let it show how he felt. Every bite was harder to swallow than the last, the cake and peanut butter getting stuck in his throat before he placed the plate down next to him on the bed. 

 

“I, uh… So, I don’t remember much after Mom had left, I don’t even really remember much about Mom from back then. I could tell you that she smelt like honey and wildflowers. I remember her singing me to sleep, he voice always sounded sweet and I remember being held, wrapped in her arms as she spun around, I remember motions she did, but with Dad, I don’t think he was the same after she left. I remember as I got older that he grew more distant, kept going on about how much I looked like her. Some days it felt like he couldn’t even look at me, those days I often hid away in the barn. He wasn’t always bad though, most of the time he was like any other father. Helped me do school work, took me out to work with him, he actually told me that I was a natural and that I should follow in his footsteps. I wanted to, back then, I wanted to follow him everywhere because I was afraid of him leaving too. I know that Mom left for her own reasons, I shouldn’t blame her but I can’t help but blame her. The only thing I’ve ever wanted so much was to be in a happy, loving family. When she left, she took a part of us with her, I never got those “mom hugs” or those “mom kisses” you know, the ones that are supposed to make everything better. I missed out on those.”

 

His eyes locked with Shiro, both their eyes were wet with unshed tears. He felt Shiro’s hand grab his own, thumb rubbing gentle circles on the back of his hand as he continued to listen, Keith continued to talk. 

 

“I-I, I never got to grow up with a brother, someone who was there and could protect me from scary things in the world. I-I, I missed the chance to grow up with someone I cared about. I don’t ev-even remember you, you are nowhere in my memory, Shiro, and that scares me-e. I’m always fucking scared that I’m going to wake up one day and I’ll be back in that orphanage. Surrounded by those cold walls and colder adults who enjoy beating on the kids just for laughs. I would have given anything to have you then, right after Dad had died, but I wa-was alone. Left by the only family I-I had ever known.”

 

Keith was full on sobbing now, eyes red and puffy, nose running with snot as tears slid down his cheeks, leaving lines where they fell. Shiro was also in tears, he wasn’t full on sobbing like Keith but he was crying, eyes were swollen, nose still dripping, the only difference was that Keith was visibly shaking in Shiro’s arms. Shiro held him for as long as it took for him to calm down. Keith was being rocked back and forth, Shiro humming softly as he ran his prosthetic hand through Keith’s hair in a soothing gesture. 

 

“I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you. If I could go back I would, I would go back and spend all the time I could with you. I want to go back to that orphanage we found you in and kick all their asses, they shouldn’t have treated you like that. I will personally make sure that the place goes out of business and will help those kids get into a proper place. Would you allow me to do that as your big brother?”

 

The question was simple and spoke more words than anything else people have offered him. He nodded his head before he snuggled closer to Shiro, hands tightening in Shiro’s shirt as Cherry laid on his lap, purring softly. 

 

“Of course, I couldn’t stop you even if I tried.” His eyes opened and scanned the room, falling on the cake. He added on as if it was an afterthought. “The cake was really good, where’d you get it?”

 

He felt Shiro stiffen slightly, a frown falling onto his own face as he looked up at Shiro. Shiro’s cheeks were a soft pink, his eyes a bit wide before he broke out into a full on smile. “Mom made it. It was for you and your first day at a new job.”

 

Keith’s eyes got wide as he sat up straighter, hands reaching for the cake and examining it closely. “Mom made it for me, because I got switched to the morning shift at my crappy job? Is that normal?”

 

Shiro shrugged as he watched Keith take another bite, practically melting against him as he smiled. “Depends, I might have told her about your switch to the morning shift She’s the one that decided to make you a cake though, all I did was supply the idea for the flavor of it, which was a bit hard but I remember you often getting those reese's cups, so I assumed you enjoyed peanut butter and chocolate.”

 

Keith continued to eat, Shiro and him exchanging small tidbits about their mother and father. Overall it was a great bonding experience for them both. Keith quickly finished eating the slice and handed the plate back to Shiro. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and checked the time. 

 

**10:48 pm**

 

He yawned and stretched against Shiro before pulling away from him. “I have work tomorrow and then school, I think I’m going to head to bed.”

 

Shiro nodded once and pulled Keith into a hug. He kissed the top of Keith’s head before getting up and stretching himself. “Okay, you sleep well. I expect you in school tomorrow, I’ll know if you don’t go.” 

 

Keith made a face as he watched his dark haired brother walk out of room. He got up and switched out of his clothes into a comfortable pair of sweats and a long sleeved shirt before going to the door and shutting off the light. He laid back down on his bed, Cherry finding her way to him and laying down next to his head. He kissed her head gently whispering a soft ‘goodnight’ before falling asleep. He’d have to apologize to Hunk and Pidge tomorrow. 

 

Little did he know that after their talk, Shiro had gotten on the phone and called their mom, expressing to her how much Keith enjoyed the cake and how Keith more than likely won’t be joining her on her trip. She understood completely and wish them best the best of luck with their life. 


	3. Bloody Fist, Calming Touch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance and Lotor go for a date at Keith's cafe, only it ends up worse than anyone expected.  
> Lotor is a creep and Lance is oblivious, Keith gets messy but on behalf of a blue-eyed god.  
> Lance makes a deal with the devil. 
> 
> Overall Hunk is MVP.

It had been a month since their first fateful encounter. That same day Lance had complained to Hunk while being driven to school. Hunk had suggested that if he’d had such an issue with the person, then he could just switch to a different cafe; upon hearing had that Lance let out the loudest screech. His exact words had been, “There isn't another cat-themed cafe for miles; plus they’re the only ones that allow for a large amount of extra whipped cream to be added, and they are the closest cafe to the school that sells decently priced coffee that tastes good.”

Hunk had pointed out that, “If the cafe has so many good points, why is one barista such a problem?” When Lance hadn’t answered, Hunk had smiled at him knowingly before pulling into the college parking lot. They had both exited the car and gone their separate ways, Hunk telling Lance that lunch was on him.

Lance continued going back each morning he worked at the bar, always ordering his large triple chocolate latte with extra whipped cream and two shots of espresso and taking his spot outside. Until he wasn’t taking his spot outside. He had moved to take up residence in a small booth next to the door. If anyone would ask, Lance would say that he didn’t like sitting out in the cold; the truth was that Keith fascinated him. He got this feeling in his chest, one of knowing, but that didn’t explain why he kept coming back.

What brought him here today was that he had actually invited Lotor out on a date. Lance always liked starting his days off with coffee, so what was the perfect way to start off the date? With coffee!

So here he was, 9 am on a Friday, waiting for Lotor to arrive while watching Keith work at the counter. Despite their first impressions, Lance could see that Keith was at least trying to be social with the customers and that his smile was only the best damn thing in the world. He wondered if there was any way to make Keith smile at him like that, only he knew it wouldn’t happen. Lance had thought he was being stealthy, observing Keith over his cup, but every 30 minutes or so -he can't promise that he was checking every time- their eyes would meet and one of them would look away. More times than he would like to admit, he was the one that looked away.

This game of back and forth went on for a few hours until someone sat down across from him and blocked his line of sight with Keith. Lance looked up, ready to go off on the fucker that blocked the perfection that was Keith until he saw that it was Lotor. Lance felt warm, face darkening in color as he was all but caught ogling another man. Blue eyes locked with purple as he took a sip of his drink. They met each other head-on before Lotor broke out in a smile.

“Sorry, I’m late. Allura had me take the cat’s to our neighbors across the hall. She has that dance competition thing this week. By the way, why aren’t you going with?”

Lance took another drink as he listened to Lotor. He nodded along before smiling softly. “Asked Coran if I could pick up a few extra hours, college is expensive. Plus, Krolia said I didn’t need to go, something about it being a females competition or something.” He waved his hand, dismissing the subject as he finished his drink.

“You okay with our usual bookstore then movies date?”

He watched Lotor tilt his head in thought, his usually long flowing hair pulled up into a perfect bun, not one strand out of place. Lance was kinda envious if he could pull off the white bleached hair, he would. He really enjoyed when there was a contrast between people, darker skinned people having bright and colorful hair was totally his thing.

“...ance...in there?”

He followed the curve of Lotor’s head, leading down to his neck, eyes raking over the smooth exposure of skin as he bit his lower lip.

“...rth to Lance.”

His eyes flicked back up, landing on Lotor’s mouth. He enjoyed the shape of them, the soft curves of his cupids bow, the fullness of his lower lip. It wasn’t until Lotor’s hand was holding his that he snapped out of his trance. Their eyes locking again as he gave a sheepish smile.

“I’m sorry, what?”

Lance’s face grew warm again as he watched Lotor smirk, a knowing look in those purple eyes. “I said that our usual date would be fine, though the next date I’m planning. No more bookstore dates, proper dates with romance, is that okay?”

Lance tossed his head from side to side and hummed softly as his eyes landed on his empty coffee cup. “Fine, but I’ll have you know that movie dates can be romantic! Also, you need to go buy me another drink, my usual but hold the extra espresso shots, please?”

Lance’s face contorted, lower lip slipping out and wobbling just a bit, blue eyes going wide as he angled his eyebrows. He topped it off with a few whimpers, the perfect puppy dog face. He watched Lotor’s face, saw the exact moment he cracked, a whole 2 seconds after he started using the face. Lotor sighed in defeat before letting go of Lance’s hand and sliding out of the booth, giving Lance easy access to watching Keith again.

“What were you drinking? Was it the triple chocolate one?”

Lanced hummed in approval as Lotor walked up to the counter. Lance watched as Keith turned around to take the order and froze. Well that was new. Lance leaned across the table trying to get a better look at the exchange. He couldn’t hear what was going on but he did try to read Keith’s lips. He could at least read simple things.

‘What are you doing here?’  
‘What’s the order’

He saw Keith go straight, back stiffening as he heard his name said. Lance looked up and caught the eyes of both guys at the counter. He waved before shrinking back into the seat. Lotor turned around and started speaking again, both of them using their hands to talk. He went back to reading Keith’s lips.

‘What’s he to you?’  
‘Ew.’  
‘You don’t reserve him.’  
‘Slimy dick.’  
‘At least I know how to fuse mine’

At this point, Lance had given up. No matter how much he tried to read Keith’s lips, his mind would go in a different direction. Lance’s mind swam with ideas of how soft his lips might be. Lance hoped his lips were softer than his hands. As much as he enjoyed soft hands, nothing could beat the hands of a person who works hard, calluses standing proud, a reminder to people that he was a hard worker. Lance gave a dopey smile, cheek resting on his palm as his elbow rested on the table until he wasn’t. He was pulled out of his thoughts as he saw something quickly move. Eyes widening, he noticed that Keith had slid over the counter and punched Lotor in the face.

Lance sat frozen, eyes widening as he watched Keith go to town on Lotor’s face. Keith’s fist kept going, knuckles turning pink, either from them being busted or the blood from Lotor’s face. He didn’t know what pulled him from the show, maybe it was the screaming of the other patrons or Nyma trying to calm them down, but one thing was for sure, Lance couldn’t sit by and let this happen. He stood quickly, making his way out of the booth and running over to the two.

“Nyma! HELP ME!” He screamed over the customers, his eyes meeting with Nyma’s as he waited for the best time. Seeing an opening when Keith pulled back to throw another punch, he threw himself at Keith, tackling him to the ground. Keith got off a few hits on Lance as he screamed.

“GET OFF ME! LET ME AT HIM!” Keith tried to claw his way towards Lotor and away from Lance but Lance held on tight, arms circling Keith’s waist as he held him close.

“KEITH!! Calm down.”

Keith kept struggling, his hands going to Lance’s arms and trying to pull them off. Lance winced as Keith got him with his nails, Lance swore that Keith was secretly a cat with how much his nails felt like claws. Lance felt Keith shift, elbows going back into his ribs; Keith was doing everything he could to escape.

After taking several hits and scratches, maybe a few bites, Lance was done. He maneuvered until Keith was laying on his stomach, arms held behind his back as Lance straddled him, hands holding Keith’s arms behind his back at an uncomfortable angle. This was a move that he had used frequently with his own siblings. He leaned down, one hand moving away from the other and rubbing calming circles between his shoulder blades, as he spoke softly into Keith’s ear.

“Keith.” He thrashed again, head thrown back and hitting Lance in the nose. Lance bit his lower lip, holding in a scream was hard but what Keith needed was a calming presence. He held his hand up to his nose and pulled it away, thankfully not bleeding. Lance took a deep breath before trying again.

“Keith. Hey buddy. You need to calm down now, Keith. Let’s take some deep breaths. Inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth. Follow me, okay? Listen to my breathing.”

Lance started with his breathing. He calmed his beating heart before exhaling all the air in his body. He closed his mouth and inhaled through his nose, counting to four in his head before he held his breath for 7 counts and then exhaling for 8. He felt Keith following after him, their breathing matching up and he let go of Keith’s arms, his other hand going to help rub soothing circles on Keith’s back.

They continued breathing together for a few minutes, hands constantly rubbing circles until he felt Keith tap on his thigh, head lifting up and turning to the side as their eyes met. Lance felt himself blush as he went to stand, knee locking from the constant kneeling, he fell back down landing right on Keith again.

When he felt Lance start to move, Keith took the opportunity to move his own body. He had just turned over, hands above his face as he took in the damage done to his knuckles. He could already feel them bruising, they stung which made him believe that he had busted the skin. He took a deep breath but that was soon forced out of him as Lance fell down. Lance screamed as he landed on Keith’s hips and Keith groaned as Lance landed. His hands moving forward to still Lance as Lance’s hands landed on Keith’s chest, which caused Keith to struggle for air.

“God...damn it, Lance!” Keith spoke through clenched teeth, hands gripping Lance’s hips tightly as he did his best to inhale, it came out as more of a sharp cry than anything.

Lance’s eyes widened as he moved quickly. He leaned to the side and placed his hands on the floor and started to crawl away. This was too much. He couldn’t let Lotor see. Every part of his body screamed to get away from Keith. No more touching, no more looking. Lotor was hurt, that much he remembered, maybe he wasn’t paying attention to anything while Nyma took him away to get cleaned up. Lance could only hope, hope with everything he had that the universe was on his side this time. Lance crawled away from Keith, putting a good few feet between them before he sat down and started to stretch his legs.

Keith looked at Lance, he really didn’t mind the other boy's weight on him, he was comfortable enough with it but he was shocked as he noticed the look of horror in Lance’s eyes. All he knew after that was that his hands were pried off of Lance as he all but threw himself to the side. He watched as Lance crawled away, putting distance between them. He frowned. - Keith sat up and looked around, people were scared. No doubt he would get fired and would have to find a new job. Keith slowly made his way up until he was standing. He looked around the crowd one more time before his eyes landed on Lance.

Honestly, he was kind of upset by the outcome. He hadn’t meant to punch Lotor in the face, it just happened. He knew what lead up to the beating, but he didn’t think he would break down in the middle of work just to punch that smug smile off Lotor’s face. It had happened so fast. Lotor had asked for a refill for Lance which led to them talking, then Lotor made a few snide comments about “how much of a whore Lance was,” and how he “wondered if you’re a pretty little whore too.” Keith might not know Lance, like at all, but he didn’t deserve the be called a whore, no one deserved to be called that. It only escalated as Lotor continued to run his mouth.

He went on about how the offer was still open, Keith could spread his pretty lips for Lotor and he would have his rent reduced each month. Keith wasn’t about to lower himself to that level. Not like there was anything wrong with people using their body to make money, it was a very respectable job, he just didn’t want to get down and dirty with such a low life. Honestly how Lance could date him was beyond his comprehension. It still amazed him that people would find Lotor attractive. The last straw was a comment about Lance, or well, both of them. He can still feel Lotor’s touch, his fingers gripping his chin as twelve words left his mouth.

“I could really use another pet. I’m sure Lance wouldn’t mind sharing.”

Keith’s vision had gone black. All thoughts left his mind but one: Kill Lotor. He didn’t even realize what had happened until Lance was over him, warm hands holding his arms, rubbing circles into his back, warm breath ghosting over his skin as Lance spoke right into his ear. Listening to Lance breath and trying to follow was calming, in fact, he had calmed down so fast compared to the other times he let his anger get to him.

Keith took another deep breath, following the same process, in four, hold seven, out eight; repeat. His eyes locked with Lance’s one last time before he turned and walked away.

Lance watched Keith walk towards the back, he let out the breath he was holding before he stood up on his own. He turned to look for Lotor and saw him sitting at a table, Nyma helping to clean him up. Lance went through the exercise again, calming his breathing and heart before walking over to Lotor.

His face was a mess. It was littered with cuts, some showing through dark parts as his face started to bruise in places. Both of Lotor’s eyes were black, one barely able to open as the eyebrow area seemed to be swollen. He also noticed that Lotor’s nose was crooked as his lower lip was split badly. His pristine white shirt was now red, turning burgundy as the blood started to dry; sleeves covered in the same blood as Lance guessed that he wiped at his face sometime after the fight. He nudged Nyma softly and held out his hand for the rag. She handed it over to him before heading to deal with the crowd.

He pulled a chair out and sat in front of Lotor, dabbing the cloth gently against his heated and swollen skin. This wasn’t new to Lance, he often had to clean up after his siblings, even sometimes himself back when he was a child. He bit his lower lip, questions plaguing his mind.

“So…” He took a deep breath and released it, hands shaking slightly as if he knew that asking would make this situation worse. “What caused him to flip?”

There was a beat of silence, Lance was certain that he wouldn’t get an answer until Lotor grabbed his hand and took the rag away from him. He applied it to a particularly bad cut before speaking.

“I’m not certain. We were having a pleasant conversation and then he just punched me.”

Lance nodded in agreement as he waited for Lotor to continue. “Honestly I’m not surprised. He’s punched me for no reason before. I should really talk to his brother about him.”

Lance stopped nodding as soon as Lotor finished his sentence. Did he just hear that correctly? Had Keith punched him before? He pulled away from Lotor, head going down and to the side as he looked Lotor up and down.

“Boi, you telling me that he’s punched you before? How the hell do you know Keith? Are you coming in here to buy drinks without me? Are you cheating on me with my favorite cafe? I feel offended, how dare you go beh-” Lance stopped talking. It so sudden that he felt like he had whiplash. Lotor broke out laughing, a hand reaching for Lance’s and pulling it up to his lips, a simple kiss.

Lance felt himself blush, his face heating up at the random action before he cleared his throat, voice sounding a bit tight. “Explain!”

Lotor let their hands fall to his lap as he rolled his eyes and shook his head. “Keith and his brother live in my apartment complex. They are actually my neighbors, like I mean right across from Allura and I. I really don’t know why but he punched me about a month after moving into the complex.” Lance's eyebrows knit together as he squinted.

"Hold the fuck up. He punched you a month after moving in? Does he have a violent history or something?"

Lotor shrugged before standing up. "I'm not sure. I'm sorry to cancel our date but I should really get home and change. Don't want such a lovely shirt to stain."

Lance stood with him and Lotor grabbed his hand again. He brought the hand up to kiss again before leaning down and pressing a soft kiss to his lips. "Thank the beautiful manager for me, please, and take care. I shall see you at work tomorrow."

He handed the rag to Lance as he walked over to their table and grabbed his jacket. Lance watched him leave, something heavy settled in his stomach as he tasted something sour. He really didn't mind getting dirty. He would rather make sure that Lotor was okay than stand in the cafe with nothing to do. He turned to look at Nyma, hand squeezing the rag tightly as he stalked over to her. He cleared his throat before speaking.

"Where's Keith? I'd like a word with him."

He watched Nyma jump at the sudden sound, his words had her pressing a hand to her chest as she stared him down. "He should be in the back room. I told him not to leave yet, make sure he gets cleaned up, okay?"

Lance nodded before marching his way behind the counter. This was actually his first time seeing this part of the cafe. He pushed open the swinging door and was greeted with the kitchen, there were two workers back here that he didn't know. They looked at him as he entered, his face darkening as he realized how weird this must have looked. He waved at them before clearing his throat.

"Can one of you point me towards the back room? Nyma wants me to make sure Keith is okay."

The taller of the two pointed to the second door that sat on the wall. "Right there."

Lance gave a quick thank you before rushing to the door. He threw it open and ran inside as he all but slammed the door shut. He heard a loud scream and turned around. Him slamming the door caused a chain reaction, the person in the room screamed which caused him to jump. He grabbed at his own chest as he turned around, eyes scanning the room.

"What the fuck?" The voice was angry. That much he could tell just from the sound alone. His eyes finally settled on a figure towards the back of the room, the figure slumped over as his head was lifted, staring at the door.

Lance gave a sheepish smile as he slowly stepped towards the figure. "Hey..."

He made his way to the couch that Keith sat on. Lance decided that sitting on the edge furthest from Keith would be the best bet at the moment, so that's what he did, he sat down right at the edge, a simple butt length away from him.

"I uh, came to check on you. Nyma wanted me to make sure you hadn’t left yet."

He heard a snort as he watched Keith run a hand through his hair. "You mean she asked you to babysit me. Wanted to make sure that the problem child didn't run away before your asshole of a boyfriend could press charges, right?"

Lance was confused, who ever said anything about pressing charges? He supposed that Keith would expect as much, the fight was pretty bad, but Lotor didn't say anything about pressing charges. Lance reached over, hand resting gently on Keith's thigh, rubbing slow circles with his thumb.

"I don't think that's why. Lotor didn't say anything about pressing charges, just about how he was going to talk to your brother. As for Nyma, she's worried about you. I've known her for a while now, almost as long as I've known my best friend and the one thing I've learned is that she cares about her friends." Lance took a second to inhale, letting his lungs expand with a much-needed breath before continuing.

"What caused you to punch Lotor?"

Keith looked at Lance. He could see that Lance was worried, it was clear as day to anyone who looked at him. He bit his lower lip as he tried to pick his words before deciding against showing Lance how bad his boyfriend was.

"It was nothing. Doesn't matter, you wouldn't understand."

The hand on his thigh tightened its grip, no more circles being rubbed into his skin. "Then explain it to me, make me understand. Something had to have gone down between you. He already told me about how you punched him like a month after moving in. Unless you're just an angry asshole, I don't see you as the type that would just start fights.”

Keith stood up. He could feel the anger rushing through him. He didn't want to talk about it. He owed nothing to Lance. Why couldn't Lance see that? He walked over to the bathroom, turning long enough to look at Lance. HIs words were simple. "Leave me alone, Lance. Go make sure your boyfriend is okay."

He slammed the door to the bathroom, once inside he slumped to the floor, all anger leaving his body as he rested on the cold floor. He met Lance a month ago, he shouldn't feel comfortable around him. He should be annoyed, not flustered. Every time their eyes meet he felt warm, like every bad thing that had ever happened to him would have been better if Lance was by his side. He barely knew the guy, only knew his drink order, and what time he normally stops in for his drink, he knew that Lance was a flirt and that he was dating scum like Lotor. He learned early on that Lance had the most beautiful eyes, calm like the ocean, bright like the sky on a clear day.

His heart was pounding, beating faster, the anxiety creeping up behind him and taking hold. He took a deep breath and went through the exercise again; release all the air, breath in for four counts, hold for seven, release for eight. He repeated the process, what felt like hours were actually minutes but by the end of it, his heart rate had slowed down. He could think rationally again. He took a deep breath before getting up and going to the sink.

He looked in the mirror above the sink and saw tear stains. When had he started crying? Raising his hands to rub at his cheeks, he noticed just how bad his knuckles were. They were busted, the skin cut open from repeated punching. He opened his hands, trying to stretch out his fingers but failed and groaned softly. He was in pain, why did he think it was okay to punch him? He didn't. He didn't think, just acted. No one deserved to be treated like a piece of meat.

He turned on the tap, making sure the water ran cold before shoving his hands under it. He gasped as the water hit his open wounds, water running pink. He used his hands to gently rub over the knuckles, making sure not to apply too much pressure to the open wounds. A few minutes passed as the water started to run clear. As much as the cold water helped to numb his fingers, he really needed to call Shiro. Lance's earlier statement had him freaking out just a bit and as much as he wanted to just go home and forget this, Shiro had to be told. He dried his hands carefully before he opened the door. He had expected Lance to leave after his outburst, he was pleasantly surprised to see that he was still in the same spot.

Lance looked up as the door opened, his face lighting up as he saw Keith emerge from the room, a soft smile playing on his own lips. "Welcome back. Are you ready to talk now?"

"I told you, I have nothing to say. It doesn't concern you."

Lance gasped, hand going up to his chest, almost like Keith had said something scandalous "How dare! You're wrong good sir, this does concern me as you're the one that attacked my boyfriend." He let his hand fall to his lap, the bloodied rag forgotten on the coffee table.

"Please, Keith. I know something went down between you guys. Like I get it, Lotor isn't the best guy to get along with, but that doesn't mean he deserves to be attacked."

Keith felt annoyed. The longer Lance talked the more his head pounded. He closed his eyes as he rubbed at his temples. "Just leave, Lance. It doesn't matter. Go tell Nyma that I'm not leaving but I do need to call my brother."

Keith said it as if that was the end of this argument. Lance sighed as he stood up and headed towards the door. "Fine, see you some other time, Keef. Best of luck with your anger issues.”

Lance opened the door and walked out quickly, turning and locking eyes with Keith one last time before leaving. He let the door slam shut behind him. He thanked the workers and excused himself as he fast-walked out of the kitchen and back to the entrance area. He noticed Nyma behind the counter and slipped on only his best smile. He walked around the counter before leaning on it and giving her a smirk.

"Hello, my Java Goddess."

He watched Nyma roll her eyes before she leaned on her own elbows, getting to his level. "Don't call me that again. How's Keith?"

Lance inhaled deeply and pressed his lips into a straight line. "Still an ass but he promised me that he wouldn't leave. He did say something about calling his brother though." Lance bit his lip and drummed his fingers against the counter, a thought crossing his mind.

"Nyma, what's going to happen to Keith?"

He watched Nyma turn her head up and place a finger to her lips and tapped, lost in thought before turning and staring into his eyes. Blue meets blue, one wore the look of worry as the other was serious. "That's a good question. It depends on if your boyfriend is going to press charges or not."

Lance frowned, one eyebrow raised in question. "Why does everyone think that he's going to press charges? Lotor is a kind man, plus, he didn't say anything about it earlier. Have a bit of faith, Nyma."

It was her turn to frown, her body going tense as she listened to Lance talk. He noticed the moment she changed. Her back straightening up as she messed with the end of one of her braids.

"Nyma, what's wrong?" Lance was worried. If just talking about Lotor could cause two people to change, who exactly was he dating?

Pink tongue darting out and running over her lower lip, he noticed a sliver of silver showing before her tongue was back in her mouth. She pulled away from the counter and stood up straight as she took a deep breath. "Nothing's wrong, it's just that Lotor is wealthy, he comes from a powerful family, Lance. Please be careful." She looked past Lance and addressed the customer behind him.

Lance was left with confusion, he needed answers! What did all of that mean? He knew that Lotor came from a wealthy family, it's not hard to see how he dresses, but Lance knew that Lotor could honestly care less about all of that, couldn't he?

Lance walked away from the counter and went to grab his stuff before he looked back at Nyma. Their eyes met for just a second, sadness passing through her eyes before she turned back to the customers. That feeling of dread settled over him again, his stomach hollow with a black pit sitting in him. He walked out of the cafe and pulled out his phone, he needed to get to the bottom of this.

Lance had ended up calling Hunk. He needed a ride over to Lotor's house as it was entirely too cold to walk. He stood outside and waited, the minutes ticking away as he started to get impatient. Pulling out his phone he opened up his calls and dialed Lotor's number, hoping he would answer. He didn't. The phone went to voicemail, not even giving a second to ring. Lance squeezed his eyes shut and rubbed between his eyebrows. What the fuck was going on? WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK WAS GOING ON HERE? Lance wanted to scream. Wanted to march up to Lotor's building, right to his door and pound on it until he answered. Lance was furious, what did Lotor do that caused everyone to be so tight lipped about him?

Lance took a seat in his old spot and waited

Hunk finally showed up an hour after the call. He apologized to Lance and Lance honestly felt kinda bad. He knew Hunk was in the middle of an assignment for school and his petty ass was too lazy to walk towards the nearest bus stop and just take a bus to Lotor's apartment. Lance slid into the car and quickly turned on the heater, holding his hands in front of the vent.

"So, what happened?"

Lance looked over at Hunk and shrugged. "Don't know what you're talking about."

Hunk gave him a once over and sighed. "Lance, you have blood on you and a black eye. I'll repeat my earlier statement, what happened?"

Lance frowned as he took in his appearance. His clothes had random spots of blood on them, most likely from when he tackled Keith off of Lotor, but he didn't think that Keith had done damage to him. He pulled down the sun visor in Hunk's car and lifted the flap to reveal a mirror. He angled it down until he could see his face and he nearly screamed. Keith's headbutt was hard enough to cause actual damage. Lance looked at his own face and frowned as he took in the black eye and the swollen bit lips. He ran a hand through his hair and finally took notice of the claw marks on his arm, Keith really needs to trim his nails.

He closed the mirror before putting the visor back up and leaned back in the seat. "Keith punched Lotor. Like I mean he went all out. Blood was everywhere and it was a giant mess with customers screaming and just, Lotor looks like shit."

Hunk nodded once as he clicked on his turn signal, and turned left. "Understandable, Keith's a strong guy. I mean, he works with metal most days, at least when he's able to get to school. Otherwise, he's working on his bike. The dude has muscles in his tiny body, dudes a scrapper."

Lance's nose scrunched up at the thought before he relaxed, a smirk on his face. “Yeah, he is. Have you seen my arm? He has some serious claws. You’d think he’s part cat or something. Anywho, I found out that he lives across from Lotor, their neighbors or something.”

“Wait, you didn't know that?”

Lance turned in his seat and looked at Hunk, utter surprise on his face. “Hold on one fucking second, are you telling me that you've known who Keith was the entire time?"

Hunk looked guilty, his cheeks covered in a soft pink as he coughed softly. "Well, not at first, but then you kept complaining about him, and he would send me messages about you. It was obvious that you both were talking about each other."

Lance's eyes narrowed. "He talks about me? What does he say? Does he even say anything nice, because I'm imagining him complaining about everything."

“He complains about a lot, not just you. I'm sorry that I can't remember what he says about you. Oh look, we're here.” Hunk pulled into the parking lot and parked as he turned off the engine.

“Imma stay right here, message me if you need someone to kick his ass.”

Lance gave the most offended look he could conjure, something akin to absolute horror. “Boi, I’m not just some princess, I'll call you if I need backup.”

“I mean, you're a bit of a princess.”

“Not the time Hunk. If I'm not back in an hour, come up and get me.”

Hunk gave a mock solute as Lance got out of the car. Lance shut the door and stood there for a few minutes. He was trying to calm himself, the pit in his stomach settling heavily; it was hard to breathe. Lance pulled himself away from the car, one last look at Hunk before he walked towards the entrance. He entered the main lobby and headed straight towards the elevator. Allura and Lotor lived on the top floor, apartment number was 1001 A.

Lance had a love-hate relationship with Lotor's apartment. The first time he had come over, he was stopped at the front desk, a million questions were asked before he finally got the go-ahead, along with a visitors pass. After repeated visits, he got a pass upgrade, no longer was he a visitor, but more so a temporary resident! That was one of his best days, it was probably when he started to really like the apartment.

Lance hummed to himself as he stood in the metal death box. He would have preferred taking the stairs but using the elevator would allow him to get up there quicker, and the quicker he could get up there, the sooner Lotor and he could get this mess figured out. The elevator dinged softly and the doors opened, stepping out he took a deep breath and walked right up to Lotor's door. He looked at the name tag and noticed that both of their names were on it, their last name abbreviated to the first letter. Lance took the time to turn and look at the other door. He walked over and looked at the name tag, Shirogane T. Kogane K.

Lance marked it in his mind to come back at some point just to see Keith, maybe he could come up with an excuse, especially if Keith ends up getting fired from the cafe. He walked the few steps back to Lotor’s apartment and knocked loudly on the door. He heard a soft meow, Blanche on the other side of the door wanting attention. He waited about two minutes before knocking again, louder this time. He heard a shuffle on the other side before a soft, ‘I’m coming’ came through. Lance stood there, waiting, a hand making its way up to his lips as he bit the tip of his thumb. He heard the click of the locks before the door opened, Lotor standing with a towel around his waist, his hair up in a bun. Lance could still see the water droplets clinging to his skin, two slivers of hair hanging and curling around the sides of his face. Lance's mouth opened a bit, tongue darting out to swipe over his lower lip as he pulled his hand away.

"I uh...Sorry for bothering you so soon, just wanted to make sure you were okay. C-Can we talk for a second?"

Lance's face was red, he could feel his own face heat up as their eyes met. Lotor's face twitched before his mouth was turned up into a smirk. "Of course, please come in. Let me go get dressed real quick."

Lance grabbed his hand quickly, fingers wrapping around his wrist. "You uh... You don't need to get dressed. I'll only be here a few minutes." Lance walked into the apartment and closed the door behind him. They made their way over to one of the sky blue loveseats and sat down, Lotor throwing one leg over the other, arms placed gently in his lap.

"What did you want to speak about, Lance?"

Lance bit his lip, holding in the sob that wanted to escape. How did he get so lucky to have a man such as Lotor? He was perfection, tall, lean, beautiful. He would have been worshipped in ancient Greece, probably worshipped even today by more than just Lance. Lotor pressed a hand gently to Lance's cheek, thumb sweeping over Lance's bottom lip, pulling it from between his teeth.

"You're worrying again. You know those pretty lips are for better things than chewing on, yes? You came to speak, what is the issue?"

Lance nearly melted at the touch, his face heating up again as he licked the thumb before closing his lips around it, sucking softly. He pulled away, hooded eyes looking up at Lotor.

"I...I came to talk about Keith. Just...Just wanted to know if you were going to press charges."

"Do you want me to press charges?"

Lance froze at that, Lotor's hand was warm against his skin while his voice sounded cold. That pit, the emptiness filling him again. Of course not, he didn't want Lotor to press charges, he just wanted to understand why. Why did Keith attack?

He leaned his head towards Lotor's palm, his thumb brushing against Lance's lower lip again and he all but crumbled. "No, don't press charges."

He watched Lotor's eyes brighten a bit before they darkened, a smirk on his face as he leaned forward, lips right at Lance's ear. "You might need to convince me not to. You okay with doing that?"

Lance licks his lips again, a shiver going down his spine and he nods. “O-Of course, whatever you need, Lotor.”

Their lips met quickly, Lotor pulling Lance to straddle his lap, Lance yelping at the sudden shift. He wrapped his arms around Lotor’s neck as long fingers pressed into his hips, sliding over flesh under the hem of his shirt. Lance moaned softly, allowing for Lotor to deepen the kiss with the press of his tongue. Lance moaned again as Lotor’s tongue pressed against his own, him softly sucking on it, as one of Lotor’s hands moved up towards Lance’s hair. Lance’s head was pulled back and the kiss broke, a strangled whine on his lips as his back arched, body pressing closer to Lotor’s.

“Look at you. Such a pretty boy. Do you want to please your master?” Lotor’s mouth pressed gently against the flesh of his throat, teeth digging in softly as he pressed kisses over the exposed skin. Lance keened, something inside him broke and all he wanted to do was pleasure Lotor. He wanted that praise again. Lance could be a good boy, he’s done it multiple times before, anything to please Master. The thought on repeat, Master.

Master.

Master.

Lance felt like he was floating, his body was sensitive but he wanted more, craved more, anything to help him feel grounded again. Until he wasn’t. He was falling and falling hard. He could feel the crash run through him, his breathing coming in shallow gasps. It very much felt like he was drowning, he could feel his chest tighten as he struggled to fill his lungs with air until he wasn't. His head was on something soft, hands running through his hair. His eyes slowly opened, a gentleman light shining through the room; a bottle being brought to his lips. A voice was shushing him softly as he drank before the bottle was taken away and replaced by an orange slice. He would rather have had chocolate but somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew that whoever was helping him would have been upset.

"Are you feeling better, kitten?"

Lance froze at hearing that name said in that tone of voice. That tone showed that Lotor was upset, Lance did something wrong again but he wasn't sure what. He slowly pulled himself up, eyes adjusting to the room. All the evidence of what had gone down was cleaned up, aside from the ache in his body and the fullness now inside him. He swallowed heavily, that pit appearing back in his stomach as he took another orange slice. Looking down at himself, he noticed that Lotor had given him one of his sweaters. It was the soft one in pale purple, he pulled the sleeves down as he continued to eat, alternating between sips of water.

It took him a moment before he spoke. "Yes. How long was I out for?"

Lotor hummed, one leg thrown over the other as he rested his elbow against his knee, a hand cupping his chin and a finger tapping against his lips. "Longer than usual. I would like to say about twenty to twenty-five minutes. However long it was, Hunk had come up to check on you, I told him that you were taking a shower and grabbing a change of clothes. That was about ten minutes ago."

Lance finished off his orange and the water before he slowly rose to his feet. He felt heavy, full, he shuddered at the thought of what it was before he took slow tentative steps. "T-Thanks for letting me know. I'll be on my way now."

He continued to step lightly, feet sliding across the carpet as his hand reached out for anything that was closest to him to grasp. He hated the way he was feeling, dread settling over him like a second skin, right under tiredness. He made it to the door and gingerly moved to grab his shoes. It was a struggle, every move made him want to cry out and just get rid of the damn thing but he knew he had to listen to Lotor. After spending a copious amount of time getting his shoes on, he grabbed his jacket and opened the door.

Leaving it open a crack, he looked back at Lotor. “You promise not to press charges? We had a deal and if you do, this will be the end.” Lance’s voice wavered as he spoke, he tried his best to catch the tone in his voice but could do very little to hide how scared he was, how broken he felt.

Lotor hummed and waved a hand, dismissing the issue. “We did have a deal, you keep up your end and I’ll keep up mine. Talk to you later, behave.” With that he watched Lotor stand and walk out of the living room, heading where Lance knew his bedroom was. He walked out the door as quickly as he could before shutting it, the door locking automatically. Lance leaned back against the door, head drooping forward as he sighed. He had really fucked himself over this time.

The sound of someone clearing their throat made him freeze. He moved quickly, head snapping up and meeting the soft brown eyes of the other. He relaxed immediately, knowing he was in no danger. He slumped against the door again, a loud sigh leaving him.

“No offense but, you look like shit.”

Lance laughed dryly, his eyes rolling before they met with Hunk’s again. “I feel like it.”

“He was rough this time, huh?”

Lance knew that tone, Hunk was worried. Based on their long-lasting friendship and a short stint at dating, he knew that Hunk was scared, had probably worried himself sick as he waited for Lance. Lance frowned as he observed his best friend. Large hands pressing together, one hand holding the fingers on his other as sorrowful eyes looked over Lance. Lance gave in, he lifted his tired arms and looked up at Hunk through his lashes and did a simple grabby hand motion. Immediately Hunk was there, arms scooping him up princess style as they headed down the hallway towards the elevator.

Lance wrapped his arms around Hunk’s neck and nuzzled against him. “Can we stop for some candy? I really want chocolate.” He felt Hunk hum, his chest vibrating with it and continued as he spoke.

“Of course. He fed you oranges again, right?” Lance nodded as they stepped into the elevator. Hunk had to shift him a bit, Lance using his own upper body to hold onto Hunk as he pressed the button for the lobby. Hunks hand went back to its place, resting gently against Lance’s upper arm.

“C-Could we watch the Little Mermaid?”

Hunk hummed again and smiled softly. “Yeah, but after we get you into a bath, you’re shivering.”

Lance’s face contorted into a grimace, face pressing into Hunk’s shoulder to hide it. “Y-Yeah, just cold. Make me arroz con pollo when we get home? Please? Use mama’s recipe, she gave it to you for a reason.”

Hunk laughed, a full, deep body laugh as he kissed the crown of Lance’s head. “Of course, though I don’t think she gave it to me for when you’ve had a bad session. Anything else for you my princess?”

Lance blushed softly at the nickname, he was about to speak as the doors to the elevator opened; they had reached the lobby. Stepping out, Hunk tightened his hold and continued walking. They paid no mind to the weird looks or glares, ignoring whispers were easy until it wasn’t. Hunk stopped in his tracks and Lance looked up. He saw that Hunk was staring at something, he just didn’t know what, or who. He turned to look and found one Keith K. standing wide-eyed as he observed them.

Lance cursed softly, hand going up to tug up the neckline of the sweater a bit. “Heeeeey, Keeeeeith.”

“Hi, Hunk.” Keith looked like he was trying to figure out what to say, his face going from shocked to his normal straight lipped one. “I uh…” He cleared his throat before starting again. “Hey.”

Lance felt bubbles in his stomach, laughter trying to escape before he snorted, laughter following shortly after. “Too late to play it cool now Keef.” He tried to make it sound natural but he knew his voice was strained.

He watched as Keith’s eyes narrowed, their eyes locking before Lance had to look away. He was blushing, face turning a darker shade as blood rushed to his cheeks. “I didn’t ask for your opinion, Lance. What even are you guys doing in my building?”

At the mention of the building, Lance paled again, his body stiffening as he clung to Hunk tighter. He licked his dry lips before trying his best to take a breath. “I uh, we came to see Lotor. He’s not going to press charges, by the way, just thought I should let you know.” He made eye contact with Keith and tried to read his expression(it was the one thing Lance was good at) before he gave up, Keith didn’t have emotions.

Hunk spoke shortly with Keith and then addressed Shiro, who Lance didn’t even realize was behind Keith, the discussion being casual aside from the tension between Lance and Keith. He waved to Shiro, a small smile tugging on his lips as he took in the full picture. He had seen Shiro briefly under shitty lighting and thick clouds of smoke, in the daylight he was a whole different story.

Shiro was tall, Lance was certain he was a few inches taller than Hunk at least and he was built. Man did Lance want to get his hands on his arms, he wondered how much Shiro bench pressed. He shook his head trying to shake the perverse thoughts away before he looked up and smiled at him.

“Hi, names Lance. Lance McClain. I’d get up and shake your hand but I really can’t move right now.” He held his hand up to his face, making a gun with his thumb and index before pressing it to his chin just a bit, if not underneath it.

The lobby was silent, the air between the four of them was thick before Keith burst out laughing, Hunk and Shiro quickly joining in. Lance was confused, his face shifted to one of concern before his cheeks darkened. He pressed his face back into Hunk’s chest and spoke softly. “Can we just go home?” Lance knew his voice sounded strained, tired. He barely had the energy left to hold up any form of confidence.

He felt Hunk’s laugh die down before another kiss was pressed to his crown. “Yeah, let’s get you out of here. It was great meeting you, Shiro. We can talk later, okay Keith?”

Lance turned to look at the other two. He waved at them before turning away, shame filling him. He couldn't see it but Hunk was frowning, worry taking over his face before he felt the larger man moving. He felt the doors open and cool air hit him like a wave. It washed over him and he took a deep breath. It felt good to be outside, the sun shining brightly on him, warming him up just enough that the cold from Lotor's apartment was starting to get chased away.

Hunk moved quickly, making it to the car in record time. He sat Lance down gently on his feet before opening the door for him. He helped Lance into the car before shutting the door and moving to his own side. He got in quickly and started the car, Lance watched him move, watched the way his twisted his body and smiled softly.

"Those dance lessons with Krolia have really been helping you out. Your everyday movements are smoother."

Hunk snorted "You're obviously blind. Let's go get you that chocolate and a warm bath." Lance nodded slowly, a small smile playing on his lips. "Okay."

For the first time that day Lance felt safe, he knew Hunk cared and that was all that really mattered in the end.

\-----

Keith had waited thirty minutes for his brother to show up, it was annoying really. He felt bad, guilt settling over him as he thought about Lance. He knew that Lance deserved to know, in the long run, it would have been better to just tell him, maybe then Lance would drop Lotor like the trash he is. Keith growled softly to himself before he laid down. He didn't know why he kept up the act around Lance, it might have been because Hunk had said that Lance had a thing for bad boys.

He was still surprised that Hunk knew Lance and to find out that they were roommates was even better. Keith had spent many nights messaging Hunk, trying to get information out of him, it was at the point that he had asked Hunk for Lance's number multiple times and each time Hunk would give the same response; just ask for it.

Keith had noticed how Lance would stare at him, their eyes would often meet and the blush that found a home on Lance's cheeks was amazing. Keith wanted to make him flustered like that all the time but knew that he couldn't. He had actually worked up the nerve to go and ask Lance for his number, to go and give a proper introduction until Lotor walked in and sat down across from Lance. At that point, Keith knew he just shouldn't get involved. He didn't want anything to do with Lotor but fate had a different idea for him.

He had a second chance that day, to talk to Lance like a normal person and allow them to move past whatever this block was between them. He supposed that coming off as a hardass wasn't going to help him but he really didn't want to tell Lance the truth. The truth scared him, he was certain it would scare Lance as well. He wasn’t trying to be mean towards lance when they were in the back room together, in fact, he loved feeling Lance’s hand on his thigh. He loved feeling Lance’s hand rubbing circles into his back, it was the most comforting thing he’s had since before his father died.

Keith felt part of him break, as he watched Lance leave. Shiro had told him that he needed to try and be more social, but how could he be more social when he was used to being alone? After Lance left, Keith grabbed his phone from his locker and proceeded to call Shiro. He knew that Shiro was working and he felt bad, really bad, but it wasn’t like he could call his mother; she was away on work anyway. He talked to Shiro for a few minutes before they both agreed on it being best for him to stay at the cafe and wait for him to get there. Keith made his way back to the couch, the room felt larger and colder than when Lance was in the room with him. He exhaled, body feeling tired and heavy now that the adrenaline had left him. He opened up his chats and scrolled down to Hunk’s before sending a quick message.

10:18 am  
BladeofDeath: i think i fucked up dude.

Keith laid on the couch, his eyes slowly falling as sleep crept up on him, hoping that everything would just end.

12:47 pm  
hunkmcmuffin: So I heard, you wanna talk about it?

Keith jumped up, sleep taken from him as he felt someone touch his shoulder. His hand going right to where his usual knife was only to not feel the hilt. He heard Shiro’s voice, soft and comforting to his jumbled thoughts and sleep ridden brain. He opened his eyes slowly, feeling his body relax with every breath, Lance’s voice playing in his head. “Four. Seven. Eight.” Keith followed the order, counting to himself as Shiro’s hands rubbed at his arms. He looked up at Shiro and smiled sheepishly.

“Sorry for almost attacking you.”

Shiro snorted, eyes rolling before he pulled Keith into a hug and held him close. “It’s fine. You’ve done worse.” Shiro and Keith pulled away at the same time, Shiro moving to sit next to Keith, the silence stretching between them is tense. Keith went to speak but was cut off by Shiro.

“Nyma said she won’t fire you. She overheard what Lotor had said but her hands are tied, his family owns the shop.”

Those words left a bad taste in his mouth. He didn’t want to work here anymore. He squeezed his eyes shut, breath picking up again. “FUCK!” Everything sucks. His life sucks. His job sucks. His school sucks. He definitely sucks but that’s neither here nor there. He felt like his life was falling apart again, all because of that smug bastard who lived across from him. Keith knew that it wasn’t really because of Lotor, but he could still blame the dude.

He felt one of Shiro’s hands rubbing at his back again. He pulled away, the touch becoming too much. He stood quickly and moved to one of the chairs, he needed space.

He took a deep breath before he spoke. “What do I do? This can’t possibly be allowed, can it? Surely I can do something for what he said?”

Shiro leaned back against the couch, Keith took the time to take in his appearance. Shiro looked every bit of his age, if not older. It was weird thinking about how Shiro was only 4 years older than him but he didn’t look anywhere close to 25. He had bags under his eyes, smile lines around the corners of his mouth. A scar resting across the bridge of his nose from the wreck he was in years ago. Keith was still waiting to hear the story behind that, it’s how he lost his arm. Despite that, Shiro was strong, his arms were nothing but pure muscle -aside from his one metal arm- the rest of his body matching, or so he assumed; his legs matched at least.

He watched Shiro, observed his face as he closed his eyes and thought through all the options. He tapped his fingers softly against his own thigh before his eyes opened and met Keith head on. “There’s one option, but you won’t like it.”

Keith sucked in a breath through clenched teeth and frowned. “Let me guess, talk to Krolia?”

Shiro’s face darkened a bit, he was embarrassed for even suggesting it but it really was the only way he could think of Keith getting anything out of this. “Krolia knows both Alfor and Zarkon. Alfor being Lotor’s uncle and Zarkon being his dad, I’m sure if you talked to her she could come up with something.”

“That’s just it, I don’t want to talk to her! She left when I was a child, couldn’t even come to help me when Dad died! What makes you think she’s going to help me now?”

“She cares, Keith. I know you don’t want to believe it but she does. Give her a chance, please?”

Dark blue-grey met dark grey, Keith rolled his eyes before looking away “I’ll think about it.”

“That's all I asked.” He heard Shiro chuckle softly before he saw him stand in front of him. “Come on, you’re out of work for two weeks, mandatory therapist visits.”

Keith huffed out some air before he stood. He went to his locker and grabbed his stuff before walking back towards Shiro. “Do I have to do the therapist visits?”

“Yep, the only way you could keep your job. There’s even a therapist set up that works with the company, that is unless you want to talk with mine.”

Keith thought back to everything Shiro had told him about Dr. Kolivan. He knew that the man liked to be called by his first name and that he was a patient man. He felt like he couldn’t trust whoever they found to use for the company. Keith gave in, slumped over in defeat.

“Fine, let’s go talk to Dr. Kolivan.”

\--------------------

Keith knew that he wouldn’t be able to see the therapist that day, they had to call and make an appointment, which they both decided to do when they got home. Shiro had jumped onto the back of Keith’s bike with him and they took off. They ended up at the apartment complex quicker than Keith would have liked to. He really didn’t want to be around Lotor, let alone in the same building. He really had half a mind to see if Hunk would let him stay over for a few days.

The thought of Hunk had him thinking of Lance. If he stayed over maybe he could try to have a normal conversation with him. He shook his head before heading in, conversation light between him and Shiro until they stepped into the lobby. His eyes snapped up as he saw Hunk carrying Lance in his arms. His heart started racing, he could feel the adrenalin starting to kick in. What in the hell happened?

After a short talk with the two, Keith was no less worried. He knew that Lotor had done something to fuck with Lance, if only he knew what. His mind raced with many ideas, most not so pleasant as he thought back to Lotor’s words. Did Lotor abuse him? He sat in his room at his desk, computer opened as he waited for Hunk to get online.

5:07 pm  
BladeofDeath: hunk is dead when he gets on.  
GreenGoblin: what he do now  
BladeofDeath: carried an almost unconscious lance out of my apartment building.

5:08 pm  
GreenGoblin: that must really suck you think that theyre doing alright  
BladeofDeath: i don’t know, i hope so.  
hunkmcmuffin: Lance is fine…  
hunkmcmuffin: Now.

5:09 pm  
BladeofDeath: WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY ‘NOW?’  
GreenGoblin: calm down keith im sure hunk will explain soon.  
hunkmcmuffin: …  
hunkmcmuffin: … He had spent time with Lotor, had a drop and I was there to take him home and make sure he got the care he needed. Nothing to worry about.

5:10 pm  
BladeofDeath: what’s a drop?  
GreenGoblin: dunno, gotta get back to work later  
hunkmcmuffin: Bye, Pidge.  
BladeofDeath: later shorty.  
GreenGoblin: 8( watch it kogane or imma make you regret calling me that  
BladeofDeath: hurry back to work.

5:15 pm  
BladeofDeath: you feel up to a call?  
hunkmcmuffin: Yeah but I’m going to have to be quiet. Lance is cuddled up to me sleeping.

Keith quickly pulled up the call option, the noise on the other end was almost like a ringer but annoying. He waited until he heard Hunk pick up.

“Okay, so tell me everything.”

“There are some things I can’t tell you.”

Keith frowned as he thought. “Fine, let’s just talk then.”

He heard a soft chuckle from Hunk’s end before he spoke. “Okay, let’s talk.”

Keith and Hunk talked for hours, Pidge eventually joined in after their shift and Hunk moved to the living room. They talked about work, Hunk asking what happened and Keith giving as little info as he could, no one needed to know what Lotor had said, better if he just kept it to himself. Pidge talked about how they hated their job, all they wanted to do was go around and mess with technology. They didn’t want to socialize. Keith and Hunk laughed at that, the call being disturbed long enough for Shiro to let Cherry out of Keith's room and to bring him food. Shiro waved at the two on the other end, his smile wide as he asked Pidge about Matt.

Pidge replied that Matt was doing well. Shiro pulled up a chair as the four of them talked until Lance was heard in the background of Hunk’s screen. They said goodbye to Hunk as he excused himself, his screen going dark as he left and Pidges screen taking up the entire screen. Shiro left shortly after, Keith could tell he was happy that Keith was socializing, even if it was over the computer. Once Shiro was gone, Pidge stopped typing on their computer and looked into the camera, eyes meeting Keith’s.

“Okay, spill. What happened between you and Lotor.” It wasn’t a question. Pidge wasn’t asking him to explain, they were demanding he did, and he caved. He told Pidge everything, their brown eyes never leaving him as he rambled on about how Lotor said awful things about Lance and himself. Pidge glared at him once he was done, their face scrunched up just a bit.

“Keith Kogane! You can’t just start fights on other people’s behalfs. Lance deserves to know what Lotor said, he has the right to know.”

“I know this! I want to tell him but he doesn’t like me. What if he thinks that everything I was saying was just a story, me trying to get them to break up? You didn’t see him today, Pidge. You didn’t see him after he spent time with Lotor. Hunk had to carry him, he barely talked and when he did it was either snarky or he sounded scared. Does that sound healthy to you?”

He saw them look down before they started typing. The call was silent except for the sound of Pidge moving at a fast speed and Keith’s breaths. Pidge sighed as they looked over something before they looked back into the camera. “Ever think maybe Lance is just a kinky shit? Maybe he’s into something like BDSM.”

Keith's face shifted through many emotions, the main two being shocked and then worried. “I don’t want to talk about this Pidge. I have to go.”

“Don’t masturbate too much to the idea of Lance being tied up.”

Keith glared at Pidge before leaving the call. The room was silent for just a second before he groaned. Why did Pidge have to put that idea in his head? He didn’t want to think of that. He grabbed his food and quickly went to youtube, maybe some pointless knife videos would help to distract him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have turned this into a series because well, I wanted to keep this rated somewhat low, so sex scene that's supposed to happen this chapter is now part two! Expect smut to go to side story!

**Author's Note:**

> List of people that helped me either write or beta:  
> Panda: Idea Helper/Kinda Beta  
> -ao3: https://tinyurl.com/TrickyRedPanda
> 
> Kaira: Idea Helper/Kinda Beta  
> -ao3: https://tinyurl.com/Kaira101
> 
> Ana: Idea Helper  
> -ao3: https://tinyurl.com/ADyingFlower
> 
> Penny: Lance Flirts in chapter 1/Kinda Beta  
> -ao3: https://tinyurl.com/ybtplzwf
> 
> ALSO, I've tried to do the url thing, I can't get it to work....sooooooo, enjoy the tiny urls! :3


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